When I was asked to write an interest piece
for the Cormack Innovation Awards website, I was delighted to find out that I
was also in control of the topic of the piece and immediately saw the
opportunity to speak on a common problem currently felt by a lot of my recently
graduated colleagues. That being the drama and stress felt over finding
employment beyond higher education.
In what is said to be a harsh and
competitive employment climate for recent graduates, even those who graduate
with good marks often have trouble finding jobs, and distinguishing themselves
from their peers. My intention in writing this article is to hopefully give
those of you who are reading this a ‘leg up' and better equip you with the knowledge
of how to achieve employment beyond higher education.
I will be the first to admit I am no expert
in this field, however having gained recent employment myself with relative
ease, I feel I am in a good position to share the reasons behind my employment
success.
Charles Woodbury wrote that "only in this way can we protect intellectual property, the labors of the mind, productions and interests are as much a man's own...as the wheat he cultivates, or the flocks he rears."
As a student considering a career in Industrial Design it is important that you become aware of your rights and responsibilities when it comes to Intellectual Property (IP). Protecting your IP is the same as locking your car- you are protecting something you own of value- an asset.
As an Industrial Designer, IP can come in many forms of the work that you undertake- from the look of a newly created product to the mechanical processes designed to create that product, each of these tasks provide worth for IP protection. Increasingly many organisations realise the substantial benefit of protecting these new ideas to create a market advantage. It is important that you as a designer are also aware of how you can support these organisations in collaboration with IP protection.
This easy to use guide has been created to provide a general overview of Intellectual Property and the number of options that are available to designers and organisations when protecting IP assets. This guide is not created as legal advice and should you be considering the registration or trade marking of any of your designs, you should always seek professional advice from a qualified Patent and Trademark Attorney.
